Football (Soccer) Thread

[FunkMonk]

I don't know. I remember a while back that Manchester United claimed to have the most fans in the world. I think perhaps a large portion of these fans expect constant success from the club and if they don't win things they'll conveniently start supporting Arsenal, or Chelsea, or Manchester City (lol). As the Englanders would say, the glory hound plastics will fuck off to ruin some other club.

[Viking]

But did Man U come from being the most successful english team when Ferguson took over? And did he have to deal with spoiled multi-millionaire players? I think, because of Ferguson's long tenure, that the fans will be more forgiving of Moyes than the players will.

One of the most important bits of Fergie lore was when he first came down from Aberdeen he had a bit of a rough first season and was on the verge of being fired. If the results in the next game went against him he was gone, Man U squaked a win. He stayed... and stayed.. and stayed... and build the biggest club in the world.

The Fergie Fanbois won't be out for his blood, they'll see the parallel.

[FunkMonk]

It is a bit insane though, isn't it? To believe that Moyes will achieve similar results as Ferguson? I don't get the logic:

1. He was picked by Ferguson.
2. He's Scottish.
3. ...
4. Win another twenty league titles. 

Moyes is a decent manager but to expect anyone, much less David Moyes, to be Alex Ferguson 2.0 is just damn silly. He may prove to be a stable manager in the end for United but the glory days of winning everything forever are over unless the Glazers just chuck money at the club and buy all the best players, like all the other "normal" big clubs.

[Viking]

It is a bit insane though, isn't it? To believe that Moyes will achieve similar results as Ferguson? I don't get the logic:

1. He was picked by Ferguson.
2. He's Scottish.
3. ...
4. Win another twenty league titles. 

Moyes is a decent manager but to expect anyone, much less David Moyes, to be Alex Ferguson 2.0 is just damn silly. He may prove to be a stable manager in the end for United but the glory days of winning everything forever are over unless the Glazers just chuck money at the club and buy all the best players, like all the other "normal" big clubs.

What I'm arguing is that Ferguson's example will fortify Man U fans (if there really are any foul weather ones) with patience with moyes lack of failure.

[jimmy olsen]

The World Cup Draw was fixed!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/12/09/was_the_2014_world_cup_draw_fixed.html

[Josquius]

Whatever happened to the financial fair play rules that were supposed to be coming into play?
Big clubs can still just throw their rich owners money at top players

[FunkMonk]

The World Cup Draw was fixed!

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/12/09/was_the_2014_world_cup_draw_fixed.html

I hate Slate and I hate conspiracy theories but FIFA is so fucking corrupt that I wouldn't be surprised at all if the draw was rigged.

[Sheilbh]

I don't know. I remember a while back that Manchester United claimed to have the most fans in the world. I think perhaps a large portion of these fans expect constant success from the club and if they don't win things they'll conveniently start supporting Arsenal, or Chelsea, or Manchester City (lol). As the Englanders would say, the glory hound plastics will fuck off to ruin some other club.

Who knows? I think globally Liverpool still have the second most shirt sales of the English teams, so you can ride on reputation for a while.

Many ManU fans might be more forgiving because I think there is a sense that the team isn't quite up to it and that the summer transfer fuck ups weren't wholly his fault, after all they changed CEO at the same time.

I think the problem he has though, which I saw someone mention elsewhere, is that he doesn't really have a style that's identified with him so he's only got results. He can't point to a loss in the way that Wenger, Martinez, Moyes or AVB can and say 'we're changing the team at the minute, but this is what we're working to even though we're not doing well enough yet'.

Edit: Having said all that I think things need to go a lot worse before he'd get shuffled out. I think he has at least one and a half seasons.

Manchester United should have just skipped Moyes and gone straight for Roberto Martinez.

Well they can't have him

I hate Slate and I hate conspiracy theories but FIFA is so fucking corrupt that I wouldn't be surprised at all if the draw was rigged.

Yeah. FIFA+France

[Valmy]

Yeah. FIFA+France

I do not know what you are talking about.  Switzerland, Ecuador, and Hondoras is a trio of terror indeed.  I cannot think of any side in the WC that would switch places with France.

[FunkMonk]

Whatever happened to the financial fair play rules that were supposed to be coming into play?
Big clubs can still just throw their rich owners money at top players

I've seen mentioned around the internets that there are ways around FFP. Also, the rules are being phased in over the course of several years, so clubs aren't stressing too much about it quite yet.

[FunkMonk]

I think the problem he has though, which I saw someone mention elsewhere, is that he doesn't really have a style that's identified with him so he's only got results. He can't point to a loss in the way that Wenger, Martinez, Moyes or AVB can and say 'we're changing the team at the minute, but this is what we're working to even though we're not doing well enough yet'.

Edit: Having said all that I think things need to go a lot worse before he'd get shuffled out. I think he has at least one and a half seasons.

Yeah, I agree that's a huge problem. David Moyes doesn't exactly scream beautiful, free flowing football, and a trademark of Ferguson's sides was always being able to come back from seemingly impossible odds to win. I'm not exactly sure what he's trying to build. I'm not even sure he knows, either. He's caught between trying to emulate the old boss and trying to impose his own 'style' and 'culture'. I feel bad for the fellow.

[Liep]

So Istanbul gets snow and we're still stuck with fog and rain? Lousy December.

[Gups]

[One of the most important bits of Fergie lore was when he first came down from Aberdeen he had a bit of a rough first season and was on the verge of being fired. If the results in the next game went against him he was gone, Man U squaked a win. He stayed... and stayed.. and stayed... and build the biggest club in the world.

That was his 4th season. His previous 3 included one second place and two mid table finishes. There was a lot of pressure from teh fans to get rid of him in December 89 after he lost like 6 games in a row or something but they won the cup that year and started improving.

Fans were a lot more pateient those days.

[Zanza]

Champions League Round of 16: 4 English, 4 German, 3 Spanish, 1 each from Italy, France, Turkey, Russia and Greece...

[Liep]

Italy must be disappointed with being behind the other big 3.